Overview & Reviews

One of America's most storied automotive brands, Dodge has been around since the early days of the auto industry. In the past couple of decades, it has revitalized itself to be a producer of aggressively styled and performance-oriented vehicles.

Two brothers, Horace and John Dodge, began the Dodge Brothers Motor Vehicle company in 1914, after having worked as manufacturers of bicycles and automotive parts. Their first vehicle was a touring car that proved a fast favorite with car buyers; it was soon joined by a roadster and a four-door sedan. By 1917, the company's model line had grown to include trucks. Dodge cars and trucks were used as staff vehicles and ambulances in World War I.

Dodge was briefly owned by a banking firm and subsequently sold by its new owner to the Chrysler Corporation in 1928. From there, the brand slowly evolved into the division responsible for trucks and performance-oriented cars. Post WWII, Dodge introduced vehicles like the military-inspired Power Wagon truck, Hemi-powered Coronet and the Royal Lancer; in addition, the manufacturer began offering dealer-installed air-conditioning.

Vehicles like the Dodge Dart and the Coronet kept the manufacturer in American driveways throughout the 1960s. That decade also saw the launch of one of Dodge's most iconic vehicles, the Charger. Dodge's muscle car was based on the Coronet platform, and featured a fastback roof line, hidden headlamps and a full-width taillamp panel. Best of all, the Charger could pack one heck of a wallop under the hood. A 318-cubic-inch V8 was standard, but buyers seeking maximum brawn could upgrade to a 426-cubic-inch, 425-hp Hemi V8. The company also introduced a Mustang-fighting pony car, called the Challenger, in 1970.

As with other American auto manufacturers, Dodge's fortunes started to slip in the '70s due to changing tastes and increased competition. The company was saved from extinction in the early '80s thanks to government loans and the sales success of its Omni and Aries economy cars (the former an attempted copy of the VW Rabbit). But 1984 was when Dodge made its mark in the history books with the introduction of the wildly popular Caravan. Ideal for families and able to seat up to seven, the space-efficient Caravan started a whole new vehicle segment -- the minivan.

The early '90s saw the company wow the public with the V10-powered Viper roadster and an all-new Ram pickup that set a new standard for big-rig-like styling. A few years later, Dodge came to be part of DaimlerChrysler, a result of the merger of the German company Daimler (owner of Mercedes-Benz) and Chrysler.

The merger never really worked, however, and Daimler sold Chrysler and Dodge to a private equity firm in 2007. Soon after, America's economy slid into recession. Due to poor sales and debt, Chrysler had to declare bankruptcy. The federal government intervened and eventually Dodge came under control of Fiat, a European automaker known for its small cars, an area where Dodge's entries had been roundly criticized for mediocre build quality and unrefined performance.

More recent years have seen Dodge concentrate on the more practical vehicles in its lineup, making notable improvements to the performance and overall quality of its midsize Avenger sedan and Journey SUV entries. Dodge also spun off its truck line, making it a separate Ram brand. But make no mistake; Dodge is still considered Chrysler's performance division thanks to cars like the Challenger and Charger. Time will tell how successful Dodge's latest makeover is.

User Reviews:

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  Transmission Problems - 1995 Dodge Caravan
  By Solid Car - September 22 - 6:26 pm

  My parents bought new in 95. It has been through the family a couple of times. Its had regular maintenance. We had lifetime oil changes from the dealer, but they changed it from 3k to 7.5k, so its about 1 out of every 3 oil changes are free. It burns 1 - 1.5 quarts of oil in between oil changes. The transmission was replaced at 150k and it had metal in it at 250k. Its having problems again, but it has 293k miles. If you change the oil ever 3k miles, brakes and tires it will run forever. Im on my 3rd driver seat and the fr passenger is wobbly. The tapedeck quit (replace w/ CD) and the A/C went out ($1,000 fix, not worth it). Window motor peters out, only goes 3" down.

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  Good Suv - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By Thomas - September 21 - 6:06 pm

  Bought the Durango with Hemi for towing a 26 trailer. Generally does well except through the high desert states where it constantly shifts up and down even with the tow feature engaged. I can usually find a happy medium towing but not so here. Would probably do better with the 3:73 ratio differentials instead of the 3:92. Also maintenance is expensive requiring synthetic oil in rear differential. An exhaust manifold stud broke in the head @ 43,000 miles. Shop had replaced same one on another Hemi a month earlier. I dont mean to talk the rig down because I really do like the rig and enjoy driving with all the bells and whistles and great stability.

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  Nice in and out, but... - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Henry - September 21 - 1:06 am

  It is a nice van to drive. Replaced a 96 Villager with 120,000 miles. Much better ride - smoother and better handling. Only problem so far is that Dodge (maybe this was a mistake) installed the base AM/FM CD with a single disc DVD. The end result is that headphones are not supported by the radio.... So, if the kids want to watch a DVD that is the audio that comes over the 6 speakers. Later models in the 05 have corrected this, and it is no longer an option to combine these two from the factory. But, it seems silly to have a DVD player that doesnt have a separate audio source.

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  Value, Design, Utility - 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By fdby - September 20 - 4:15 am

  I just bought a 2012 Grand Caravan SXT with 36k miles. So I cant say much about reliability yet. So far Im impressed with the seating, much improved in 2011 over the previous StownGo. The DOHC variable-valve-timing engine is very nice and powerful (but still uses 87 octane gas), though I cant imagine it will be as trouble-free, tough, and durable as the old OHV 3.3L dinosaur. Handling is very good. The standard suspension is no longer mushy, but feels more like the old Sport option, yet is quite compliant. Power doors all around work well, but seem pointless to me, as does the key-in-fob arrangement. Fitnfinish is so-so. There are some very clever options inside.

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  Judge by Driving! - 2009 Dodge Caliber
  By synesthesia - September 16 - 2:11 am

  Sitting inside, the headroom and line of sight is higher than most other "little cars". Feels like a small SUV, mileage like a sub-compact. The long rake of the windshield, large roof pillars and long low windows gives one the feel of sitting in an aircraft cockpit. The engine has a lovely "throaty roar" to it when pushed to perform. Like no other economy car Ive ever heard. "Smooth, Sleek and Powerful" are the best words to describe the feel of driving this car. I love it!

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  Chauffeur by choice - 2007 Dodge Durango
  By ON DA GO IN SO. CAL. - September 15 - 9:17 pm

  We just had our first child & needed something with more room than my mustang. Even though there were many choices out there (and we test drove them all) the durango slt had the power (v8), room (3rd row seating), cargo space (when the 3rd row is down), looks (husky - in a good way)& comfort we were looking for. Long trips I used to take with my wife (b-4 the baby came) in the convertible mustang seemed really long. Now that we have the durango, I hate to say it - I like taking long drives (375+ miles). Dont get me wrong, Im keeping the mustang - but if its a family trip I want the durango. From Las Vegas to San Francisco to lake havasu we found a great car. Family chauffeur by choice.

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  great to problems - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By susan - September 10 - 4:11 pm

  I bought my 2002 sxt 4dr Dodge neon it was awesome. It could handle any weather situation and drove like a dream. After the 2nd year the back bumper faded. Now it has hit its sixth year the warranties are gone and the transmission went out without warning. I had it diagnosed the week before because my deduction pump when out which caused my engine light to go off. No sign of the trans going. The shop I took it to said that the day it had went out it showed 7 codes.

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  I Love my 2004 Durango 4x4 - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By kaleigh - September 9 - 2:00 am

  I cannot say enough good about my durango! It handles like a car, has a decent quiet ride. The gas mileage doesnt bother me, I was driving an old 4x4 jeep, and itwas the same! The vehicle is heavy enough that I feel safe, there is plenty of room and I sit high enough that I can see whats going on all around me. And, the entire staff where I bought it are great!

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  So far So good, but have a few concerns - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By cleary524 - September 8 - 10:17 pm

  Bought R/T AWD in May 08, Wicked fun to drive! R/T has good pickup in the 3k+ rpm range. Little sluggish off the line. The front suspension concerns me. Has a clunking noise when you run over an abrupt bump (possible tie-rod end ($100) or ball joints($700) Ive been told). Front tires seem to be wearing on the outer edges a little prematurely. New Pirellis=$$ Plan to change tie rod ends with grease fitted ends soon and then rotate tires and realign. Fuel econ is not the best. Around town Ive gotten 19 mph. Hope this car stands test of time though? I sold a good Buick Regal GS for this.

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  Good car - 1995 Dodge Intrepid
  By Wayne - September 8 - 12:34 pm

  It has a very strong 3.5 liter, 24 valve engine. Problems we have encountered are the water pump goes out at 70,000 miles, according to the mechanic who says he fixes about 4 a week. If you are lucky, the pulley seizing on the pump will shred the timing belt and kill the engine immediately, otherwise, the engine will overheat and warp the heads, increasing the cost from $700 to $2800. Some sort of bolt on the steering mechanism has stripped a couple of times, needing the front end to be dropped down to replace, which has been spendy.